[maxmsp] Minor confusion about "symbol"

Pretty new to Max here.  I'm reviewing Max objects I picked up in the
tutorials.  Now something I don't get and having checked both tutorial and
reference and playing around I'm here asking.
>From the reference manual :

" symbol The word symbol, followed by a symbol, stores that symbol in the $1
argument, then sends out the contents of the message box."

First having scoured around it seems symbol can be anything, number or word
, is that right ?
Yet I'm doing something like below and get a max window error : bad
arguments for message "symbol".

I must be missing something.

max v2;
#N vpatcher 19 57 532 457;
#P window setfont "Sans Serif" 9.;
#P message 29 131 50 9109513;
#P window linecount 1;
#P message 29 93 18 9109513 \$1;
#P message 29 58 57 9109513 symbol 440;
#P window linecount 0;
#P message 71 488 50 9109513;
#P window linecount 1;
#P message 71 391 55 9109513 symbol OK;
#P window linecount 0;
#P message 71 488 50 9109513;
#P window linecount 1;
#P message 71 391 55 9109513 symbol OK;
#P window linecount 0;
#P message 71 488 50 9109513;
#P window linecount 1;
#P message 71 391 55 9109513 symbol OK;
#P connect 6 0 7 0;
#P connect 7 0 8 0;
#P connect 4 0 5 0;
#P connect 2 0 3 0;
#P connect 0 0 1 0;
#P pop;

TIA
SA
-- 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_ambient
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